Incidence of breast cancer among women in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwara

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the second most common cancer in the world, and most frequent cancer among women. BC is a public health issue because of the highest rate of morbidity and mortality, so our study about the incidence of breast cancer among women in Al-Madinah Al-Munawara to answer many questions such as lifestyle, risk factor age, and the roles of the patients in awareness of the community. Methods: It was a retrospective study that analyzed questionnaires collected from King Fahad Hospital and early diagnostic Taiba Cancer Screening centers from women patients with breast cancer after ethical consent in a specific time interval from January 2022 to March 2023 in Al-Madinah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Results: Among 111 women with breast cancer, 51.4% were diagnosed at the age 19 to 30 years, 16.2% were diagnosed at the age 31 to 40 years, 6.3% were diagnosed at the age 41 to 50 years, 20.7% were diagnosed at the age 51 to 60 years old, and 5.4% were diagnosed at an age over 60 years. 39.6% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have (1-3) children, 22.5% have (4-7) children, and 3.6% have more than (7) children. 56.2% of patients breastfeed their children, while 43.8% do not. Conclusions: The incidence of breast cancer according to our study shows a high-risk factor in younger women, we suggest starting breast cancer screening from earlier age 19 years old and above. An increase in childbirth and lactation reduces the progress of breast cancer and prevents the disease, encouraging women with or without breast cancer for breastfeeding and childbirth. The experience and knowledge of patients with breast cancer about the disease make them active members in community awareness and urged other women to early screening, also the success story of recovering patients can be inspired for newly diagnose or relapse cases to complete their treatment by conducting educational meetings.